Wednesday, February 3, 2016

The Case of the Missing God

"Not enough evidence, God! Not enough evidence!" – Bertrand
Russel

Where is God? If he exists, why can’t I see him?

Since long ago, people have been asking this question and there have been so many answers and excuses. Normally, most believers will say that a person can’t see God because our capabilities are limited – Now how can the finite see the infinite anyway? As one “God Defender” have said it, “The problem of knowing God is complicated because the very nature of God means that He is invisible and not material. That is why no one has yet confined God to a "test tube.” Any "God" which we could touch and see and photograph would not be the God we are seeking. Then how can we understand God?”

Now here’s the problem, and it’s more about empirical understanding.

It has something to do with relationship.

How can I have an intimate relationship to someone that I cannot see?

Why a “loving Father” need to be hidden to the children he unconditionally loves?

As one theist pointed out, we cannot see God because we lack the ability (something like our vision) to see God. Ok, so we don’t have the capacity – that’s understandable, but how about God, what does he lacks? What prevents him on making himself visible? Too much pride I guess. However, that is besides that. These “God Believers” always points out how God love us like a parent love his children… a Father. And that’s not all. We also have the issue of salvation and unconditional love. So how can we have a relationship with the unseen and what did this God do to ease the handicap? But first…

Invisibility

So, how can we perceive an invisible, Loving Father?

Well, according to one theist, by using (1) scientific experiment, (2) logic, and (3) direct

experience.

What? You gotta be joking?

Experiment? Now, how can you experiment God? Can you place him in a laboratory and dissect him to pieces?

As this theist continues, “How do we perceive the existence of an object, particularly an invisible substance such as air? One way is through science. We can carry out a scientific experiment. Even though air is invisible, through a simple experiment such as turning on a fan and observing the effects of the breeze, you can easily perceive the existence of air.”

Is he comparing God with air?

Air is matter – it has mass and it occupy space. That is why you can blow a balloon with air – Can I fill a balloon with God?

So why is air invisible? Air is a mixture of different gases – Oxygen, Ozone, Nitrogen (N2), Carbon dioxide (CO2), Argon (Ar), Neon (Ne), Helium (He), Hydrogen (H2), Xenon (Xe), Methane (CH4) and Nitrous oxide (N2O) that have relatively low density and viscosity. The reason of its invisibility is because the molecules of air weakly interact with light since they are smaller compare to the wavelength of visible light. If a molecule or even a particle is smaller than the wavelength of light, that object becomes “invisible.” However, air has pressure (force) and temperature. That is why you can feel air – you can perceive air.

Is God so small he became invisible like air?

Word Play

How about using our powers of reason and logic? Will that prove God?

Logic is word play and the good thing about logic and reason is that if you can use them to prove God, you can also use logic and reason to disprove his existence. There are a number of good logical arguments why God doesn’t exists and sadly for the theist, it were already been done by several philosophers.

Relative Experience

The theist continues, “Knowing the existence of the invisible is by direct experience.” According to him, once you perceive something through experience, you do not need to explain or convince yourself of it. You simply know that it exists. He then set an example using the experience of the love of your mother, stating further that such love goes far beyond proof or logical explanation. “No power under the sun could bring you to doubt that the love of your mother is real.”

Experience is subjective. We interpret our daily experience based on our world view and personal experiences. So, how can we prove God using our personal, subjective experiences? Our love for our mother for example is based on what kind of life we have with her. A good mother will always produce a kind of love that well, as the theist have said, the love will be “far beyond proof or logical explanation.” – That’s true. However, a mother that neglected her children will bring different result – different experience, different interpretation.

So going back to the handicap…

If our potential and capacity are limited as what these theists, and apologists have suggested, then how about God? What prevents him to be evident to everyone? Why remain hidden? Surely, a loving “Father” will do everything to show his unconditional love to his children, including being visible. If belief will be fostered by being seeable, would it be better for a “loving father” to be unhidden to all his children for the sake of their salvation? Now, it is a little bit strange to comprehend that an omniscient, All-Powerful God have still not figure it out that his “limited” creation lacks the ability to see Him, and he didn’t made any attempt to resolve this disablement – yet he demands unfettered belief, and devotion – and He loves us unconditionally.

Maybe it would be tough to imagine, or maybe there’s a better explanation…